Emily King

The child of an interracial and international jazz duo, 22-year-old singer Emily King performed in folk clubs before she immersed herself in hip-hop after she met Bad Boy producer Chucky Thompson, who helped shape Mary J. Blige's sound. These bits of backstory add up to what you might expect on her debut album, East Side Story—message R&B dunked in a caramel bath of pretty, layered production. Much like Lauryn Hill, King is able to move through a variety of genres with ease, and is concerned with social justice.

Though her lyrics are occasionally clunky, and her vocal power can't compare to singers like Blige, King plays to her strengths for the most part; she works in softness, turning in a nice version of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and a delicate and sparkly original, "Moon," that's nearly a bossa nova number. If there's a complaint to be had, it's that the record could use more of the crackling energy that rapper Lupe Fiasco brings when he guests on a remix of the first track, "Walk in My Shoes."

—Hillary Brown
09.05.07